The world-ranked Alvarez (17-2) submitted Eric
Reynolds with a third-round rear-naked choke at BFC 4 on Friday
at the Hara Arena in Dayton, Ohio. The electrifying 24-year-old
coaxed the tapout 90 seconds into round three.

Alvarez -- who has rattled of back-to-back submission wins since
his defeat to Shinya Aoki
on New Year’s Eve -- mounted Reynolds (10-2) multiple times in the
first two rounds and built a substantial lead on the scorecards. He
latched himself onto his opponent’s back in the third round,
flattened him out and cinched the choke. Alvarez has now delivered
15 of his 17 career wins by knockout, technical knockout or
submission.

Seemingly behind in his semi-final matchup, Imada stunned the
favored Masvidal (17-4) with a third-round triangle choke that
rendered the American Top Team ace unconscious 3:22 into round
three. An 11-year veteran of the sport, Imada (22-12) has won his
last eight fights, all of them finishes.

By Jake Rossen (jrossen@sherdog.com)Friday, 6:50 p.m. ET: Horror films rank
around the level of professional wrestling for me: There may be
some artistry involved, some kind of creative spark working on a
level I can’t access, but I fear the majority of observers just
want to see someone get bashed over the head with a plate-glass
window. Or in the case of serial killer franchises, beheaded with a
band saw.

Enthusiasts for the genre might be amused to know that Derek Mears,
who occupies Jason Voorhees’ hockey mask and sanitation jumper in
the recent “Friday the 13th” remake,
trains in mixed martial arts with “Big” John McCarthy. If
Voorhees busts out rubber guard in the inevitable sequel, or
attains takedown-to-mount-to-machete, I will purchase a ticket.

White and
Hackleman Disagree to Disagree Over Liddell

By Jake Rossen (jrossen@sherdog.com)Friday, 6:45 p.m. ET: Is he or isn’t
he? Weeks after suffering his third KO loss in five fights, Chuck
Liddell was announced as being retired by UFC President Dana White.
That was news to both Liddell and trainer John Hackleman, who both
voiced a noncommittal attitude to the question.

Speaking to FightHype Friday, Hackleman reiterated that “no
decision” has
been made by Liddell regarding his future.

“He has nothing left to prove,” White said. “He went out with a
bang.”

A prediction you shouldn’t place any amount of money on? White will
relent if Liddell insists on competing as a heavyweight, which
would be a proper career reboot along the lines of Randy Couture.
(Couture went up in weight after Liddell knocked him out twice.
That might be irony. Not sure.)

I just don’t see Liddell bolting for another organization, in small
part due to the legal pillow-smothering Zuffa is capable of and in
large part attributable to his loyalty to White.

A kickboxer, Sung Jung was a featured contestant on a Korean
reality series -- think “The Ultimate Fighter” with less alcohol
poisoning. Kanehara is a refugee from ZST, an oddity of a promotion
that prohibits strikes on the ground. That kind of limited
experience has created a middling 3-3 record outside of the group,
but it’s probably not going to be a factor here -- Sung Jung will
want to stand up and put Kanehara down.

He’ll succeed: Sung Jung by decision.

Sengoku 8
Sneak: Denis/Sandro

By Jake Rossen (jrossen@sherdog.com)Friday, 6:35 p.m. ET: The remaining
Sengoku quarterfinal (HDNet, 3 a.m. and 9 p.m. ET Saturday) has a
fairly easy narrative to follow. Both Nick Denis and Marlon Sandro
have undefeated records. Denis favors striking and boasts excellent
kicks; Sandro is a jiu-jitsu black belt and wants the fight on the
ground. Will he drag it down there, or will Denis hand him his head
on a platter with a side of Advil?

The former: Sandro by absorbing Denis, Blob-style, and chewing off
a limb.

Sengoku 8
Sneak: The Rest

By Jake Rossen (jrossen@sherdog.com)Friday, 6:30 p.m. ET: Ridiculously
experienced Travis Wiuff (54-12) tackles Bulgarian Stanislav Nedkov
in a battle of 205-pound bulldogs. Nedkov is like a reincarnated
Igor Vovchanchyn, but Wiuff can take the fight down and set his own
pace…world-class jiu-jitsu stylist Alexandre Ribeiro takes on Kei
Yamamiya in a battle of grappling superiority vs. tenure; Ribeiro
has one pro fight to Yamamiya’s 60-plus…Kazunori Yokota and
Leonardo Santos will vie for Sengoku’s No. 1 lightweight
contender’s slot. The winner is expected to face champion Satoru
Kitaoka.

MMA Movie
Moonlighting: Part 5 (of 5)

By Jake Rossen (jrossen@sherdog.com)Friday, 5:30 p.m. ET:The fifth in a
series of heavily researched retrospectives on modern screen
classics. Check Turner Classic Movies for airdates, or consult the
Criterion Collection schedule for deluxe Blu-ray packages.

As mediocre as it is, this “Hulk” retread is probably the best
movie ever to feature a mixed martial artist -- albeit a retired
one.

Rickson
Gracie -- widely revered as the best jiu-jitsu academic in the
world -- appears briefly in the film’s opening moments to consult
Bruce Banner on proper Zen relaxation principles. (So he doesn’t,
you know, smash a hole in the moon or something.) Rickson even
demonstrates his famous breathing technique, which consists of
manipulating his abdominal wall like a Thalidomide-bred circus
freak.

It steals the show. Not an overly complicated task when your
action-hero lead is Ed Norton, but there you go.

Miss It: The Machado Brothers in “Brazilian Brawl”
(2003)

“TOTAL CRAP WORST MOVIE EVER MADE,” is how one IMDB.com user
delicately describes his viewing experience of “Brazilian Brawl.”
It is too kind by half.

No less than 200 Machado brothers star in this faux-Western, which
casts them as nephews to a genial old ranch hand who comes under
duress when a corrupt land baron earmarks his property for a
hostile takeover. And by “duress,” I mean he is blown up.

The plot -- loosely sketched out on the nearest napkin minutes
before shooting -- is just a clothesline to hang some jiu-jitsu
demonstrations by the brothers, which they perform admirably, if
not with any degree of sportsmanship. One thug’s ear is bitten off;
a Machado brother arms himself with automatic weapons and asserts
that “Everything is under control.”

If “everything” excludes the lighting, sound recording, editing,
dialogue, pacing, coverage, narrative, continuity and catering,
then yes, everything is going swimmingly. Running around shirtless
and wielding an Uzi tends to sway the day in your favor.

A disc best used as a coaster.

Sengoku 8
Sneak: Hioki/Mann

By Jake Rossen (jrossen@sherdog.com)Friday, 5:20 p.m. ET: In addition to
the Hioki/Mann headliner, Sengoku’s featherweight tournament --
airing Saturday at 3 a.m. ET live and at 9 p.m. ET on HDNet -- is
also playing host to a crucial quarterfinal between favored entrant
Nam Phan
and Michihiro
Omigawa.

A judoka who trains under Hidehiko
Yoshida, Omigawa likes to tie up and toss; Phan may not prove
to be a willing projectile, having held his own in the clinch (for
a little while) against the considerably larger Josh Thomson
during his stay at 155 pounds.

Omigawa pulled off an upset in the tournament’s first round against
LC Davis, but he’s unlikely to repeat. The more versatile Phan by
decision.

Live Chat with
Jordan Breen

By Jordan Breen (jbreen@sherdog.com)Friday, 3:00 p.m. ET: In order to atone
for the trifling bureaucracy which kept me from conducting a radio
show on Thursday, I will be hosting yet another
live chat on the Sherdog forums.

As always, there is no set length of time for the live chat; we'll
roll as long as people are in the thread discussing grown MMA
material. Come with all your thought-provoking questions and
cutting-edge commentaries. Think of it like a Sengoku tailgate
party, but with less grilled meat and more arguments about Leonardo
Santos fighting Kazunori
Yokota.

Also, depending on how raucous and fanatic the live chat gets, I
may stage an impromptu trivia contest. The grand prize? A
life-sized Danny
Lafever plush doll.

During my interview with World Victory Road Public Relations
Director Takahiro Kokuho, I found Breen’s assessment about
Sengoku’s charity to be dead-on. However, according to Kokuho, the
promotion’s magnanimity need not be a losing venture. Luckily, it
looks like international MMA fans will be able to enjoy Sengoku’s
sportive matchmaking for some time to come.

In more of his exclusive interview with Sherdog.com, Kokuho
discusses Sengoku’s beginnings, its backers and the shrinking
Japanese MMA market.

What can you expect? Both men are accomplished grapplers, but Hioki
has logged wins over the name-brand competition (WEC’s Jeff Curran,
Mark
Hominick, Rumina Sato).
This is a severe escalation in competition for Mann, who spent the
majority of his career in the U.K. and mustered only a decision
over a green Tetsuya
Yamada in the opening round.

Debate continues over whether a British career grooming is the
equivalent of a stretch in Japan or stateside; Mann could pour some
lighter fluid on the issue with a win here.

Unlikely, though. Hioki wins -- perhaps after getting a little too
cute in the stand-up and taking a few stingers.

Sonnen has a peculiar ability to win the majority of fights he
accepts outside of the UFC, but lose the majority he contests
inside the Octagon (1-3). Even middling results, though, are enough
to make him easily the toughest real estate
agent in Oregon. Only five percent down? What, you want to get
punched or something?

Mother Knows
Best

By Greg Savage (greg@sherdog.com)

Photo by Sherdog.com

Rashad Evans isn't above
a scolding from his mother.

Friday, 3:15 a.m. ET:Rashad
Evans’ mother was not very pleased with her baby boy’s antics
in the cage with Quinton
Jackson. The two met in the Octagon after Jackson’s win over
Keith
Jardine at UFC 96 in what, at the time, appeared to be a face
off for Evans’ next title defense.

Lyoto
Machida ended up sliding into Jackson’s slot for a UFC light
heavyweight title shot, but that did not diminish the heat that was
generated in the Columbus face-to-face fracas.

And for that Mr. Evans got a call from his mom.

“She got mad at me after the ‘Rampage’ thing,” said the UFC light
heavyweight champ. “She was watching on TV and she’s like, ‘Rashad,
I don’t like all that cussing and s---. Rashad, you don’t get on TV
cussing like that now, shoot.’ And I’m like ma, he made me mad.
‘Rashad, still, you don’t do that. People don’t want to see that
s---.’”

That wasn’t the only time Evans has received a scolding for his
actions in the cage. After he kicked Sean Salmon
in the head, scoring one of the most brutal knockouts in UFC
history, Evans got another call from his mom. She was none to
pleased with his follow-up punches to his stunned opponent.

“I didn’t even know if he was out,” recalled the former Michigan
State wrestling standout. “I thought he was dazed, but I didn’t
know if he was out or not when I threw the kick. My mom saw it
differently. ‘Rashad you knew damn well he was out when you hit
him. I don’t like you going on top of him, hitting him. That’s just
dirty.’ I’m like, ‘Ma?’”

It appears all moms have the upper hand when dealing with their
sons, even if the sons happen to be among the baddest men on the
planet.

Japanese
Tabloids Changing MMA Tune

By Tony Loiseleur (tloiseleur@sherdog.com)Friday, 3:13 a.m. ET: Fans that have
followed Japanese mixed martial arts since the Pride Fighting
Championships days know the news found in the country’s weekly
tabloids is taken more seriously than even its own newspapers. If a
political or celebrity exposé breaks in a tabloid, odds are the
story is spot-on, and everyone will buy into it. This is the reason
why accusations of Pride being connected to organized crime by
Shukan Gendai resulted in Fuji TV dropping the promotion from a
lucrative television deal to avoid negative backlash.

Couple that with Gendai’s accusations last year that Norifumi
Yamamoto -- arguably Dream’s biggest star -- fancied herb and “pot
parties,” and we all naturally began to think the tabloids had an
agenda to kill the sport in Japan.

Surprisingly, that may not be the case. During an interview with
World Victory Road’s Public Relations Director, Takahiro Kokuho, I
learned there is such a thing as good press from Japan’s weekly
tabloids.

Radio ace TJ De Santis spoke with the candid pair, who shared their
emotions for their lost friend and the future of the popular
brand.

Alvarez,
Masvidal Bouts Set for Friday

By Mike Fridley (mike@sherdog.com)

File Photo

Alvarez will headline the
card.

Friday, 3:00 a.m. ET: Known as the
birthplace of aviation and Ohio State-gridiron legends Dan “Big
Daddy” Wilkinson and Keith Byars, Dayton on Friday will play host
to knockout artists Eddie
Alvarez and Jorge
Masvidal at Bellator.

Alvarez (16-2) took to the scale and the negotiating table on
Friday, where both he and his opponent, upstart 10-1 fighter
Eric
Reynolds, agreed to meet at 157.5 pounds.

No such bargaining was needed for Jorge
Masvidal (17-3) and Toby Imada
(21-12). Masvidal exited the scale at 156 pounds and Imada followed
at 154.5.

Bellator will take place at the Hara Arena. The event will air via
tape delay on ESPN Deportes Saturday evening.